IMD Warns of Mumbai Rains with Schools Closed in Palghar and Thane, Maharashtra
13 NDRF Teams on Standby as Heavy Rains and Floods Hit Maharashtra”
Amidst the relentless heavy rains and flooding in various parts of Maharashtra, authorities have placed 13 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams on standby across different districts of the state. The continuous downpour over the past few days has resulted in waterlogging and disruptions to daily life.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that Mumbai has already received over 90 percent of its seasonal rainfall until Thursday. The city’s average monsoon rainfall stands at 2300 mm, and the current total has reached 2128 mm.
In response to the situation, the IMD has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Mumbai, predicting heavy rainfall in isolated areas on Friday. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) provided an 8 am weather update, stating the likelihood of heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai and its suburbs, with the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall in some areas. The BMC also warned of occasional gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 km/h.
Due to the heavy rain alert, all colleges and schools in Palghar districts will remain closed on Friday, as announced by the District Collector. Similarly, all primary, secondary, and higher secondary schools in Thane district will have a holiday on July 28. Thane experienced severe waterlogging as a result of the persistent heavy rainfall.
In the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Thursday, the Colaba observatory (representative of the island city) recorded “extremely heavy” rainfall at 223.2 mm, while the Santacruz observatory (representative of suburbs) recorded 145.1 mm rainfall, according to the IMD Mumbai.
The IMD had previously stated that Konkan, Goa, and the ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra would continue to experience light to heavy and very heavy rainfall until July 29. Moreover, the weather agency issued a warning of very heavy rainfall for Mumbai city and its neighboring areas on July 28.
As of Friday morning, the rainfall recorded during the period from 0830 Hrs IST of July 27, 2023, to 0530 Hrs IST of July 28, 2023, was as follows: Tondapur (Hingoli)-122.0 mm, Palghar-112 mm, Karjat (Raigad)-107 mm, Alibag(Raigad)-83.5 mm, Ratnagiri-85.5 mm, Gudhe-Bhor(Pune)-78 mm, Savarde(Ratnagiri)-70.5 mm, as reported by the IMD.